Preston North End vs Leeds United: Five key battles and score prediction
With the festive season underway and Championship fixtures beginning to pile up, this weekend sees promotion-chasing Leeds United travel to struggling Preston North End.
Following a victory over Derby County last weekend, Leeds made it back-to-back home wins by dispatching an impressive Middlesbrough side on Tuesday.
Preston then picked up their first win since mid-October when edging a closely fought contest against Cardiff City on Wednesday.
In this article, Sports News Blitz writer Samuel Leasley considers five key battles to anticipate at Deepdale on Saturday and offers a score prediction.
Paul Heckingbottom vs Daniel Farke
There is no doubt that Heckingbottom felt immense relief when Milutin Osmajic made sure of the victory in Wales following what had been an incredibly frustrating run of form for his side.
While Preston have only lost twice in their last ten games, the same number as Leeds, it is the eight draws that have knocked them down to 14th in the Championship table.
Many of those stalemates were deeply frustrating for Heckingbottom, in particular the farce that saw them drop points away to Wayne Rooney’s abject Plymouth Argyle after leading 3-0 at one stage.
However, the former Leeds and Sheffield United boss will now be looking to build some momentum ahead of the festive run of fixtures so as to widen the five-point gap between Preston and the relegation zone.
In contrast, Farke is sure to have been pleased with the determination and grit shown by the Leeds players in grabbing all three points from a difficult game against Middlesbrough.
Farke will be without either of his first-choice full-backs this weekend with both Junior Firpo and Jayden Bogle sidelined, although recent performances suggest that Maximilian Wober and Sam Byram are up to the task.
With third-placed Burnley breathing down their necks in the race for the second automatic promotion spot, Farke knows that Leeds must improve their away form or risk handing over initiative to their rivals.
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Jack Whatmough vs Joel Piroe
Despite only starting eight games for Preston this term, former Wigan Athletic defender Whatmough has looked settled whenever he has appeared and played a crucial role in The Lilywhites securing their seventh clean sheet of the season in Wales.
Memorably, with the game poised at 1-0 in Preston’s favour, Cardiff’s Perry Ng managed to beat visiting ‘keeper Freddie Woodman with a header, but Whatmough was on hand to clear it off the line.
With Heckingbottom likely to set his side up to invite pressure from deep this weekend, Whatmough will have his work cut out in dealing with Leeds’ inevitable aerial and set-piece threats.
In that, he will go up against Piroe, who was dropped from Leeds’ starting line-up for the Middlesbrough game but responded well after coming on by providing an assist for Dan James.
Piroe is proving himself to be more than a stereotypical poacher this season as he has been integral in the link-up play between the holding midfielders and Leeds’ wide men.
The Dutchman has provided ten goal contributions from only 11 starts and is on course to double his tally from the 2023-24 campaign.
After making the difference when these two sides last met, scoring a stoppage-time penalty in a 2-1 win at Elland Road, Piroe will be hoping for a similar showing on Saturday.
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Ali McCann vs Joe Rothwell
The midfield battle is crucial if you want to take anything from a clash with Leeds and, in Northern Irish international McCann, Preston have a worthy combatant.
On the back of a staggering 37 tackles in 16 league appearances, the central midfielder is primed to lock down the Leeds attack at the earliest sign of trouble.
McCann also possesses the best passing accuracy of any regular starter with 83%, a statistic that is all the more impressive when taking into account the direct style often preferred by Heckingbottom.
The aforementioned numbers have come at a price, though, as McCann has committed 29 fouls and received seven bookings, the joint-most in the division.
Considering the typically roaming nature of the Leeds midfield, McCann is certain to be drawn into challenges at Elland Road, but he must control his discipline if Preston are to get anything from the game.
Rothwell, on the other hand, has only recently come into his own as part of a double-pivot alongside Ao Tanaka.
Many questioned how Leeds would cope with the dual loss of Etham Ampadu and Ilia Gruev to injury but, given the performance standards of their replacements, it now looks as if both will actually struggle to get back into Farke’s side.
With a pass accuracy of 91%, Rothwell has been quite effective operating in a box-to-box role this season and has further provided two assists from corners.
And although Ampadu returned to action in midweek as a late substitute, it will be interesting to see if Farke finds it necessary to make changes to a system that has worked so well of late.
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Emil Riis Jakobsen vs Joe Rodon
Jakobsen has been Preston’s main attacking threat this season and will be hoping to add to his five goals and two assists at Deepdale this weekend.
He must, however, make do without his usual creative partner as on-loan Sam Greenwood is ineligible to face his parent club.
Having so far racked up 27 shots — 14 of them on target — the former Randers FC man is especially dangerous in the air and will likely test a Leeds defence susceptible to set pieces.
The man tasked with stopping Jakobsen is set to be Rodon.
After scoring his first goal in English football during the routine win over Derby, the Welshman followed that up with a solid defensive display against high-flying Middlesbrough in midweek.
Possessing the best passing accuracy at the club with 92% and often the first port of call when Leeds play out from the back, Rodon is key to progressing the ball in Farke’s system.
At the back, his 12 successful tackles and 13 interceptions have played a big part in Leeds accumulating 11 clean sheets, a record only bettered by Sheffield and Burnley.
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Kaine Kesler-Hayden vs Dan James
Able to operate in both defence and midfield, Kesler-Hayden has established himself as a hard-working and reliable player in Heckingbottom’s 3-4-2-1 system.
In winning 19 tackles this season — an 83% success rate and a squad high — and making ten interceptions, the Englishman has successfully transitioned from a defensive-minded right-back to a marauding left wing-back.
As a result, Kesler-Hayden has become a target for opposition defenders, winning more fouls than any other Preston player after 30 fouls in just 15 starts.
It is a distinct possibility that Heckingbottom decides to deploy Kesler-Hayden in a deeper role on Saturday in order to stifle the Leeds frontline, a decision that would put him on a collision course with James.
The former Manchester United star’s stunning strike was ultimately the decider against Middlesbrough, but it was his untiring work in the Leeds press that deserved praise.
Indeed, James showed incredible determination to block a Ben Doak chance in the left-back slot following a fast break.
After a spell of injury, the ever-reliable Welshman seems to be back to his best and currently sits on four goals plus two assists for the campaign.
Arguably the fastest man in the Championship, James will look to pounce on any free space left by Kesler-Hayden and tee up the waiting Piroe.
Summary
While Leeds enter this fixture in fine goal-scoring form, they have struggled away from home of late, failing to score in three of their last four games on the road.
Preston will also be seeking a more consistent form following a frankly ridiculous number of draws, although they would likely consider a point to be a good return from this fixture.
The first goal will be crucial in deciding the way the game pans out and how defensive Preston sets up. It may very well be a close encounter, but I feel Leeds have the edge in this one.
Score prediction: Preston North End 0-2 Leeds United
